RALEIGH, N.C. – Malcolm Subban was on a bus to Grand Rapids with his Rockford IceHogs teammates Friday when he learned that his next National Hockey League opportunity had arrived.
Subban, 27, wasn’t going to Chicago, though. The goalie was told he had been traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Buffalo Sabres, a club in need of help in net with Dustin Tokarski in Covid-19 protocol and starter Craig Anderson out long-term because of an injury. Subban bid everyone farewell, thanked his bosses, and boarded a flight to Raleigh.
SUNRISE, Fla. -- With Craig Anderson still out and Dustin Tokarski shouldering a heavy workl…
“Obviously mixed emotions,” Subban said Friday afternoon following his first practice. “I’m very excited for the opportunity here. I couldn’t wait to get here and get on the ice today. It was a great time, for sure.”
A warm welcome awaited Subban in North Carolina. He’s reunited with five former teammates – Alex Tuch, Colin Miller, Cody Eakin, Drake Caggiula and Vinnie Hinostroza – and was greeted by a coach eager to add an experienced goaltender who fits with the Sabres’ plan on and off the ice.
Most important, there is a chance for Subban to take over the starting job for a young team that’s allowed five or more goals in seven of its last 10 games. After watching Subban stop shots during practice in PNC Arena, coach Don Granato said he’s “comfortable” starting his new goalie Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes (15-6-1), although a final decision had not been made.
Anderson, 40, has been out since Nov. 2, as the result of a collision in a loss at San Jose. He's on the current road trip with the team, but he is not practicing.
“His reputation has preceded himself,” Granato said. “I was obviously in Chicago and had some texts from people there that really enjoy him as a person, and they were very complimentary of his athleticism and skill level. I was excited to meet him and excited to get him in practice. He had a big smile on after. I thought he worked hard and competed hard. Seems happy to be here. We like all of that.”
Before the Blackhawks acquired Marc-Andre Fleury in July, Subban was in line to compete for the top job in Chicago. He had some success with the team last season, notching a pair of shutouts and winning four of five starts before a difficult finish.
During a long offseason in Toronto, Subban worked with goalie coaches Andy Chiodo and Jason Peters to make technical improvements to complement his athleticism. Subban also made changes to his gear, worked relentlessly in the gym, and adopted a smoothie diet that he joked, “I was grinding up pretty much anything from the garden and drinking that.”
Yet, when training camp concluded in October, Subban was one of the odd men out in Chicago and he was placed on waivers. Subban went unclaimed and became part of a three-goalie depth chart with the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford.
The start to the season was rocky for Subban. He allowed six goals on 24 shots in his first outing for the IceHogs. Across Subban’s next four starts, he compiled a .911 save percentage, capped by a 20-save performance in a win over Milwaukee on Monday night. The Sabres have been on the prowl for a goalie since it became clear that Anderson would miss more than a few days with an upper-body injury sustained Nov. 2.
The Sabres (8-12-3) are winless in seven of their last eight and have allowed five or more goals 11 times since the start of November, while the Panthers (16-4-3) improved to 13-1 at home.
In Subban, general manager Kevyn Adams and his staff saw an athletic goalie with upside who has experienced success in the NHL. Subban has appeared in 82 games for Boston, Vegas and Chicago, and it was only a few years ago that he was viewed as the Golden Knights’ possible goalie of the future.
“Malcolm was one of my best friends in Vegas,” said Tuch, who played with Subban from 2017-20. “We still talk a good amount and play some video games together occasionally. Immediately, I knew he was going to fit right in.
“He works really hard. His work ethic is one of the best I’ve seen over the years. Every day he’s doing extra stuff. … I’ve been keeping an eye on him since we haven’t been playing together, and I think he’s going to get a good opportunity here. He’s honestly one of the most, if not the most athletic goalie I’ve ever seen or played with.”
A first-round draft choice of Boston in 2012, Subban appeared in a career-high 22 games with Vegas in 2017-18. He had a .910 save percentage and 2.68 goals-against average, but he was backing up Fleury, a future Hall of Famer. Subban finished the season with a 13-4-2 record. More success came the following season, particularly a nine-start stretch in which he went 7-2 and posted a .920 save percentage, but Subban also had some bouts with inconsistency.
When the Golden Knights were desperately trying to win a Stanley Cup in 2019-20, they parted with Subban in the trade that brought Robin Lehner to Vegas. During each stop in his career, Subban learned from a talented goalie. He studied Tuukka Rask from afar while in Providence, worked alongside Fleury for two-plus seasons and competed against Corey Crawford in Chicago.
SUNRISE, Fla. – Unaffected by Covid-19 for the first quarter of the season, the Buffalo Sabr…
"I learned a lot from them, honestly," Subban said. "It was crazy, because it felt like every spot I went to I ended up subconsciously trying to do stuff like them. The one thing they all have in common is their work ethic and their compete level. They all have different styles, but they just compete and bring it every night. The consistency is not easy to do."
The Sabres need stability in goal with Tokarski out. Aaron Dell has struggled to the tune of an .868 save percentage and 4.70 goals-against average in six appearances, while prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen needs more time in Rochester. Since Nov. 1, the Sabres rank 30th in the league in 5-on-5 save percentage (.895).
Goaltending hasn’t been the only issue for the club during its 3-11-2 slide since Halloween, but a reliable presence in net is needed for the development of the Sabres’ young players. Subban will be given a chance to show he’s the solution. His new teammates left a very strong impression during his first practice.
“A lot of skill out there,” Subban said. “The youth, it’s unbelievable. Coming down, everyone has a good shot. Everyone can shoot the puck, everyone can rip the puck. It’s a really close group. It was a very fun practice out there, and looking to grow with them, for sure.”
“Your job as a player is to help your team win and we’re in a bit of a rut right now, so you just try to keep working through it,” Skinner said.
Injury updates
Anderson was officially downgraded to “month to month” on the Sabres’ injury report, confirmation that the 40-year-old goalie encountered a setback in his recovery. Tuch is now week to week while working his way back from shoulder surgery and winger Drake Caggiula is facing a similar timeline.
“He has been as mystified as anybody," Granato said of Anderson. "This is an elusive thing. You wake up each day and it can resolve, so you're hopeful each day with the issue he deals with that tomorrow is the day that it resolves completely. But it hasn't, and because it hasn't, it's the same subtlety every day. It can be aggravating to the same extent. ... There is potential for frustration. He's a pro. He's handled it extremely well."
Winger Kyle Okposo and defenseman Mark Pysyk sat out practice for maintenance. Puck drop for Sabres (8-12-3) vs. Hurricanes is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
